Nikolas Cruz: The Emotionally Broken Teen

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It has now been a month since the tragedy that occurred at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida and the questions about the incident as well as the history behind the shooter continue to rise. Soon after the shooting, 19 year old Nikolas Cruz was taken into questioning as he was caught on security cameras around the school. It was no surprise that Cruz was the terrorist of the incident since he had been caught lurking on the campus three weeks prior to the shooting. While in questioning, Cruz admitted to being the culprit of the attack, which resulted in the death of 17 innocent people.

Efforts to discover any truths behind Cruz and what his motive might have been continue under investigation. According to CNN, Cruz was a “deeply disturbed, emotionally broken” young man. Admitting to his crime in the attempts to avoid the death penalty, officials are still discussing what Cruz’s punishment will be. The death penalty in Florida continues to be active, but it is undetermined as to what punishment Cruz will have to face. Families and friends of the victims may have strong feelings on that issue.

Growing up, Nikolas Cruz struggled greatly and was considered “A lost and lonely killer” according to the SunSentinel. Being adopted at birth by Lynda and Roger Cruz, things were expected to go great for the family, but things later took a turn for the worst. At the age of 3, Cruz was diagnosed with developmental delays and when he was just 6 years old he witnessed the death of his father which left him traumatized. While his life at home was not so easy, neither were his school experiences. In the eighth grade Nikolas Cruz attended a school for children who struggle with emotional issues but was later transferred to a “normal” school as this was something he wanted very badly. Before being transferred, Cruz was often bullied and picked on by students there. He later attended Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School but was later expelled his junior year for bringing knifes to school. His dark past may have led him to become interested in guns and killing at around the age of 16.

Dealing with depression, autism, ADHD, and emotional behavioral disability, Cruz was not an easy child for Lynda Cruz to raise alone. A few months prior to the high school shooting, Lynda passed away and Nikolas was forced to move into a family friend’s home. While living with the family they reported Nikolas would often kill small animals and was also seen lurking on the campus of the high school one month before the shooting. Students claimed they were not surprised at the fact that he was the shooter, as many claimed to have seen “disturbing” posts on Cruz’s social media accounts.

The sad truth of Nikolas Cruz, a broken teenager known by all but fixed by none.